Traditional tripods are bulky and have a large effective volume because of the amount of negative space between the legs of the tripod. Further, the knobs and locking mechanisms that exist on the outside of the legs on traditional tripods contribute to the overall bulk of the units.
Traditional tripods also can be tricky and time-consuming to set up and take down. This is because each leg has three or four joints that all need to be unlocked and re-locked each time the tripod is set up for use. The process then needs to be repeated when the tripod is taken down.
A tripod with a compact package that can be efficiently set up and taken down will greatly improve portability and ease of use.